100 Peeks into the Lives of Naruto and Ino
by BlakBlt2
Summary: 100 different themes on the lives of Naruto Uzumaki and Ino Yamanaka.
1. Introduction

_This is the first of 100 themes that I will be writing. Every short story will focus on a different aspect of a Naruto Uzumaki x Ino Yamanaka relationship. The different chapters will not proceed in chronological order, but will instead jump around. For the full list of themes that will eventually be included, check my profile. I will not be writing right down this list, but will pick and jump around.  
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_BlakBlt2  
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**Introduction**

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By the age of 9, Naruto Uzumaki was no stranger to heartbreak. In fact, heartbreak was probably the young boy's closest friend. Not a day went by in which this "friend" did not at least pop his head into Naruto's life. It came every time a child ran away from him, when he only wanted to play. It came when those children who were naïve enough to entertain him were forcibly dragged away by their parents.

Eventually, Naruto came to believe that he was forever destined to wander through life alone, miserable and unloved. Eventually, he finally gave up trying to make friends. Eventually, there were no longer any naïve children anymore. Eventually, his life followed a rigid schedule. He woke up at 6:00 every morning. By 6:10, he was in the shower, always cold. (The landlord was a cruel man, and Naruto was lucky that all he did was stop up the hot water pipes for his apartment). He was out and in the kitchen by 6:20. At 6:23, he enjoyed his morning cup of instant ramen. At 6:25, the cup was in the trash and Naruto was back in his bedroom dressing. 6:30, he locked the apartment door (not that it ever stopped the determined villagers from trashing the place) and was on his way to the academy for classes. He always arrived at exactly 6:50, and spent the next 5 minutes in his favorite swing, watching the parents that walked their children to school. By 7:00, Naruto was sitting in his chair (always the same one – 4th row back, 6th seat in – smack dab in the middle of the classroom) waiting for Iruka to start the lectures.

The next 9 hours were the only ones that did not fit with the strict schedule Naruto kept. Iruka always mixed it up so the students wouldn't get bored. Classes always let out, however, at exactly 4:00 in the afternoon. Naruto would, once again, spend 5 minutes in his swing, watching as those parents who dropped their children off came back and picked them up. By 4:30, he had dropped his school bag back in his apartment and was down in the park across from his apartment building. Here, his schedule varied. Every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, Naruto would practice the ninja skills he had learned so far. He always worked on something different every day, and always focused solely on one challenge. One day, he might work on molding his chakra. (During the practical instruction, Mizuki had purposely taught him a slightly varied version of the ram sign. Naruto didn't know that this was the reason he couldn't mold his chakra correctly). Another day, Naruto tried to create a simple clone, just like Iruka had in class that day. (This time, Mizuki had instructed him to put too much chakra into his clones. This was why they always turned out so sickly).

Every Tuesday and Thursday, Naruto would forego his training and just sit on one of the park benches, simply enjoying the day. This was always the time that he took to plan the pranks he would pull. These pranks always waited until the weekend, when Naruto did not have to worry about school. No matter what day of the week it was, however, Naruto was always back in his apartment by 7:00, unless Iruka had searched him out and invited him out for ramen. He spent the next hour unwinding from his day by sitting on the couch and reading a book. (People always assumed that Naruto was stupid, but he just chose to remain in the background and not draw attention to himself in school). At 8:00, Naruto fixed himself another cup of ramen for dinner, and by 8:10, he was always cleaning his apartment. (No matter what, some villager always found their way into his apartment and trashed something. The worst was when they had set fire to his couch and bed. Luckily, the Hokage had found out and had replaced them the next day). By 9:30, no matter how messy his apartment, Naruto was always passed out in bed. The cycle repeated the next day. (If it was the weekend, he replaced his time at the academy with his pranks. Saturday was spent pulling all the ones he could, and Sunday was always spent cleaning up after them).

Naruto had followed this schedule everyday of his life, ever since he had started attending classes at the Academy. Not a day had gone by where Naruto didn't follow this unwritten calendar. After all, he didn't have any friends to throw a wrench into his carefully planned (some thought obsessively planned) day. And so it was that on November 17th of his 9th year of life, at exactly 4:02, one of Naruto's fellow classmates found the blonde boy exactly where she knew he would be. She marched up to him, tapped him on the shoulder, and, when he turned around to face her, stuck out her hand and opened her mouth to speak.

Naruto wasn't aware of it at the time, but the next 7 words would forever change his life. From this day on, his life would no longer follow the strict timesheet that he had been following. He didn't know that he was meeting his best friend, teammate, girlfriend, lover, and, one day, wife and mother of his children. All he knew at that moment was surprise that someone was finally talking to him after a year of loneliness.

"Hi. I'm Ino Yamanaka. What's your name?"


	2. Comfort

_So here's the second theme. **Comfort**. In this theme, Naruto and Ino are 12_._ Three years have passed since the **Introduction**. Not that it matters. Just so you know. This is the last year of the academy for Naruto and Ino._ _Enjoy, and review._

_BlakBlt2_

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**Comfort**

Naruto Uzumaki was not the sort of person who provided comfort to others. He only had one friend, and she was not the person who was so weak as to let other people break her down. And so, Naruto had absolutely no experience when it came to anyone, let alone his best friend, sobbing uncontrollably on his shoulder. This was definitely not a situation that Iruka had covered in class, and that was the extent of knowledge that Naruto possessed.

It had all started earlier that day. Naruto had been walking Ino to her house after class. (The Hokage had made sure that Naruto knew how to treat a lady, and lesson one had been walking her to her front door. Naruto took this to mean that he would never be Hokage himself if he didn't do what the old man said.) Ino was going through the mandatory academy "Top-Rookie-is-super-hot" phase, and, unfortunately for Naruto, the top rookie was still Sasuke Uchiha. And so, she had been blabbing on and on to her best friend about just how (fucking) great Sasuke was, and that said friend (poor Naruto) should strive to be as amazing as the Uchiha. Naruto, having dealt with this for the last 134 days (yes, he had been counting) did not make the usual witty comment about just how bastard-y Sasuke was. (Bastard-y may not have been a word, but Naruto didn't care. He was cool like that. Bet Sasuke didn't make up his own words.) The blonde boy knew that anything resembling a negative comment about Sasuke would just send Ino into an entirely different rant, focusing on how Naruto was blind, and possibly retarded (she always said this with a smirk, so Naruto knew she was just messing with him) that Naruto was not to see Sasuke for the god that he was. Seriously, Naruto thought that even if Kami were to come down and tell Ino that Sasuke wasn't that great, she'd even tell the deity that HE was retarded.

But anyways… Naruto was just working up the courage to stop Ino in the middle of her declaration and ask if she wanted to stop for some ramen. Every once in a while, she would humor him and share a meal with him, and he was hoping today was one of those days. Otherwise, he'd have to stop on the way back to his house. It seemed, however, that luck was on his side, when Ino stopped walking and turned to him.

"Hey Naruto. You wanna go grab some ramen?"

"…" was his intelligent response. After all, this wasn't like Ino. She had to maintain her figure to look good for Sasuke ("But Ino, you already look great." "Shut up, Naruto.") and ramen did not help accomplish that goal. He wasn't one to question things too much, especially when ramen was involved.

"Ok. Sure."

And so the pair had made their way over to the ramen stand. It was right there on the corner, which was the only reason Ino had stopped and asked. Teuchi knew what both of them were going to have, and always made sure to have their order ready before they walked in. (Naruto wasn't sure if the man was psychic and just knew when Ino was going to join them, or if he just sold her bowl to someone else if she didn't show.) It wasn't until the two of them had grabbed their bowls and turned to find a table that Naruto realized exactly why Ino had wanted ramen that day.

Duck Butt. The jerk was sitting in a corner of the stand, by himself, quietly eating his small, half-bowl. (Naruto knew that this was the true sign Sasuke was a dick. Real men, and Ino, could polish off AT LEAST one bowl.) Naruto quietly made his way back to the counter, knowing that Ino was going to go try and join (force herself upon) Sasuke at his table.

And so it surprised Naruto when Ino slid up next him 5 minutes later, set her still full bowl on the counter, thanked Teuchi, and quietly asked Naruto if they could leave. He was so stunned by her drastic 180° flip that he didn't even bother to question him. Usually, she was so ecstatic after she talked to Sasuke. (That was the only good thing about him. Ino smiled when she talked to him.) The rest of their walk was silent, and Naruto was surprised when, the one time he looked over at his companion, he could see that she was fighting tears. That alone scared the crap out of Naruto. Ino had NEVER cried in the 3 years since the two of them had met. So whatever had happened, it must have really hurt Ino. And Naruto vowed that whatever had happened, he would fix it somehow, and make someone pay. But he also knew that she wouldn't want to talk about it now, and so he didn't press her for details.

Three hours later, long after Naruto had seen Ino to her home, he found himself in the situation he was currently in. Ino had shown up at his front door in hysterics, and offered no resistance when Naruto pulled her over the threshold and plopped her onto his couch. The minute he had sat down next to her, after fetching a glass of water for her once she calmed down, she latched onto his arm and pressed her face into his shoulder, where she continued to bawl. That had been 10 minutes ago, and now Naruto was seriously worried his friend would dehydrate soon.

"Ino…can you tell me who did this to you?" Naruto asked.

She shook her head, and so Naruto decided to reword his question.

"Come, on, Ino. You're scaring me. Just tell me who it was."

She took a minute to calm down, but Naruto could see that she planned to answer him, and so he just waited.

"I-it. It w-wa-was. It was Sa-Sas-Sasuke." she sobbed, almost returning to Naruto's shoulder.

"That bastard. I should kill him. What did he do to you, princess?" Naruto managed to growl out, restraining himself from leaving RIGHT THEN and ripping Sasuke's head off.

Sasuke could wait. Ino was far more important right now. (And all the time, but Naruto didn't always admit that, even to himself.)

"He said that he would never want to have anything to do with a fat, ugly, pimply cow like me. He told me to leave him alone and never speak to him again. He even used some words that I don't dare repeat, and didn't even know he knew." Ino had managed to calm down considerably, owing mainly to the death threat Naruto had directed towards Sasuke. She knew that Sasuke would just end up hurting Naruto, and Ino cared about her friend too much to let him run off and fight the Rookie of the Year.

"He did what!?" Naruto screamed. Lesson two with the Hokage had definitely covered how to talk to girls, and Naruto didn't remember anything in the lesson about them crying if you did it right. Therefore, Sasuke has inadvertently disobeyed the Hokage, and that didn't sit right with Naruto. To keep himself firmly planted on the couch, he had to repeat his current mantra over and over in his head.

'_Ino is far more important right now. Ino is far more important right now. Ino is far more important right now.'_

Ino was glad she'd run over to Naruto's apartment once it started to hurt when she remembered Sasuke's face while he was talking to her. The look on his face was one of pure disgust. It felt good to let out all of the pain, and Naruto was a great listener. She even managed a giggle when he jumped off the couch, shouting about kicking Sasuke's ass, even going as far as imitating the Uchiha (Ino continued to refer to him as the Uchiha ever since that night) writhing on the floor in pain, ass having been thoroughly kicked by the amazing Naruto Uzumaki.

When it got too late to head home safely, Naruto insisted that Ino take his bed. (Her parents didn't care that she stayed at Naruto's, she'd done it enough that they were used to it by now.) Ino felt horrible about making him sleep on the couch, and so proposed that the two of them share the bed. It happened every time, but Naruto still offered. When the two of them finally crawled into his bed, she snuggled up close to Naruto, still enjoying the comfort he had provided her. Just before she drifted off to sleep, she heard Naruto softly whisper to her.

"I'll never push you away, Ino."

And that alone made Ino smile.


	3. Blood

_So here's the third theme. Blood. This is set far in the future compared to themes 1 and 2. I'm picturing the two of them to be around 17 or 18 here._

_I've noticed that, so far, each chapter has had a higher word count than the one before. I'll try to keep that up. I like longer chapters. But that's just me._

_Anyway, I'm rambling. Remember, read and review._

_And without further ado, theme 3. Blood._

_BlakBlt2_

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**Blood**

Blood.

The sight of it always made Ino shiver uncontrollably. It was a reaction that she was ashamed of. She'd been training with the Hokage the entire time that Naruto had been gone with Jiraya. Tsunade had slowly been giving her more and more independence in the hospital, and she'd assisted on many major surgeries. She'd always thought that her aversion to blood was something she'd eventually get over, but so far, it hadn't happened.

Tsunade had explained that she used to have the same problem. Hemophobia, she'd called it. Blood Fear. That's what it felt like to Ino most of the time. She certainly did fear it. It was an unnaturally deep red, always so thick and sticky, and she could always smell it. Even the slightest amount assaulted her senses and made her want to pass out. It was disgusting.

Unfortunately for Ino, while Tsunade had been able to diagnose her problem, she hadn't been able to treat it. When Ino had asked how she'd gotten over it, Tsunade had told her of the time when Naruto had come looking for her with Jiraya, and they'd ended up fighting Orochimaru. Ino couldn't believe that her friend had been able to affect Tusnade so much that she'd been willing to give up her life for him, even though she hardly knew him at the time. Of course, Ino knew that was just her friend's personality. He affected such deep changes in so many people; he could make a friend out of almost any enemy. She really admired that.

That did not mean that he could deeply change Ino, and remove this stupid problem of hers. She was a god damn medic, for crying out loud. She worked with blood on a daily basis. She even bled herself on a monthly basis, and she could barely stand that!

She was currently hunched over a microscope in the lab at the hospital. She came down here at least once a week and forced herself to run blood samples, trying to work through her homophobia. Tsunade encouraged it, only because whatever blood samples Ino was able to work through helped the hospital. She'd yet to make it through even 3 hours with the blood, and her goal was to make it through the standard shift.

"Patient's sample exhibits increased levels of neutrophil granulocytes. Indicates possible bacterial infection. Recommend further testing and general antibiotics." The scratching of the pen accompanied Ino's words as she recorded her observations on the patient's medical record. The smell was already getting to her, and she was already feeling slightly queasy. But she decided to press on. As she reached for the next sample, she was interrupted by her phone. She welcomed the break, hoping her stomach would settle.

"Ino, Tsunade's looking for you. She's here in her office. Said it's urgent. I'd hurry over if I were you."

"Thanks, Shizune. I was just finishing up her, so I'll head on over right now."

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Blood.

Ino could smell it the moment she walked in the room. It smelled a little old, but not too old. Tsunade must have just finished up with a surgery right before coming to her office. There. Ino could just make out the blood drying under her teacher's fingernails. Must have been a nasty one. Ino forced her gag reflex bag. Wouldn't do to go throwing up on the Hokage, would it?

"Ino, I'm going to assume that Naruto already told you about the mission I gave him, so I don't need to repeat the details, do I?"

"No, Lady Hokage. He told me."

Naruto, Kakashi, and Jiraya had left two week ago on a long term mission. Jiraya's spy network had turned up a very good lead on Orochimaru's current hideout, and the three of them had gone to shut it down, permanently. Hopefully, they would get lucky, and run into Sasuke. Naruto was still trying to fulfill his childhood promise to Sakura, and bring back her boyfriend. (The two of them had just started dating right before Sasuke's defection, and she had been devastated. She still held out for him, though, despite her numerous suitors.) Ino didn't like her best friend risking his life like that, but she'd given up on trying to change his mind.

Tsunade tented her fingers, and placed them on the desk in front of her.

"Well, here's the thing. I just received word from Jiraya, via messenger toad, that they were headed back. He also asked that a medic meet them on the way to the village. He wouldn't say what happened, but from what I gathered, someone was very seriously injured. They're rushing back as quickly as they can, but obviously there was a fight, and they're going to be exhausted. They'll probably be stopping to rest soon, and I want you to hurry out and do what you can for them. Stabilize whoever is critical, and rush them back to the hospital. Can you do that?"

"Yes ma'am!"

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Blood.

There was so much. So much damn blood. He was covered in it. Ino hoped that at least some of it wasn't his. Didn't make it any easier to look, though. She'd smelled it from miles away, it seemed like. That's how she narrowed down on their camp. The smell. It was everywhere.

They had him covered up. Trying to make him as comfortable as they could, even though he was probably hurting like nothing else. Ino could tell he was hurting. It was there on his face. Just the imperceptible furrowing of his eyebrows, just slightly. But Ino had known him for more than half his life. She knew everything his face showed, even when he didn't think it showed anything. He still wore that stupid emotional mask of his sometimes. Always when he didn't want someone worrying over him. Mainly her. But she knew. She always knew exactly what he tried to hide.

Jiraya was trying to tell her what had happened. They'd run into Sasuke, it seemed. And Orochimaru. At the same fucking time. Jiraya and Kakashi had to fight the snake summoner. Everyone there knew it. That was probably the bastard's plan. Leave Naruto to Sasuke. Sasuke always was an arrogant bastard. Probably thought he could take Naruto on his own. But Naruto gave as good as he got, if not better. Ino knew that, and Naruto had the proof clutched in his hand. Refused to relinquish his hold on it. Not even Ino had been able to take it from him.

It was Sasuke's eye. Jiraya had said that he'd ripped it from Sasuke's head when the bastard had gotten too close. Of course, too close had consisted of taking the Kusanagi blade right to the chest. And it didn't help that it was laced with Sasuke's infamous Chidori Current. Definitely didn't help.

Ino was hunched over the unconscious body of her best friend, peering with a careful eye into the gaping hole in his chest. Jiraya stood behind her, watching over her shoulder.

"Naruto got really fucking lucky, taking that sword to the chest, Jiraya. It passed through the intercostal space between his 4th and 5th ribs. Nicked the cervical vertebrae, but didn't do any permanent damage. Just missed his heart."

"Well, that's good." was all the response she got.

"Yeah, it would be. But, unfortunately, Sasuke has a pretty good understanding of the human anatomy. No doubt another lesson from Orochimaru. He could see that the sword didn't do anything, and that's why he passed that Chidori through the blade. As the both of you know, Chidori relies on manipulating one's chakra into a lightning element, and then condensing it. You should both also know that the human body relies on electrical impulses for all the muscle contractions, including those in the heart. Sasuke's got excellent chakra control, so it was child's play for him to push the electricity of his Chidori into Naruto's nervous system. He fucked with all of the electrical impulses in Naruto's body. I'm surprised he's not seizing. But he does have a cardiac arrhythmia, leaning mainly on the side of tachycardia. Basically, his heart's pumping way faster than it should be. That's why this wound is bleeding so much. Not much longer before he's dried out. He's already anemic. "

"So can't you just close up the chest wound? Then he's not loosing blood." Kakashi asked.

"I would, but because of the tachycardia, he'd have an insanely high blood pressure. Most of his blood vessels would burst, and we'd lose him in the field. I've got to get him back to the village. Tsunade will know what to do. Catch up when you can."

Ino gently picked up her friend, and with all sense of urgency, vanished.

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Blood.

Ino was covered with it. All of it Naruto's. Tsunade was surprised when she saw her. But she didn't have the time to process it, since Ino had shoved the unconscious boy in her arms and explained to her everything that had happened to him.

That was 6 hours ago. They'd rushed Naruto into a treatment room and gone to work. And now here Tsunade was, relaying the news to Ino.

"I'm not going to lie to you Ino. It was touch-and-go for a while there in the beginning. Luckily, we got the right drugs into him to correct the arrhythmia, and then got him closed up. I'm fairly certain that the only reason he lasted as long as he did was thanks to his…guest. It seems that he sped up Naruto's natural hematogenesis. The boy was producing blood almost as fast as he was losing it."

"Can I go in, ma'am?"

"Why don't you give it a bit? He's still out, and probably will be for a few more hours. You should head home. Grab a shower. Throw that outfit in the laundry, please. Get some food in your system. Then come back. Naruto will still be here. I'll call you if he wakes up before you get here."

"Thank you, Tsunade."

In turned and headed for the front door. She stopped, however, when Tsunade called out to her.

"Ino…. be good to him. Always."

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Blood.

Ino watched it swirl down the drain of her shower. It had soaked through her clothes completely. Tsunade had told her to wash those. She hadn't listened. She'd stripped them of and thrown them straight in the fireplace. She'd set fire to them later. Didn't want to keep them around as a reminder of what had happened today. She'd come close to losing her best friend. Couldn't have that. He'd made a promise to bring Sasuke back? She was going to make her own promise, to herself.

Naruto was going to grow old and die. That's it. Ino promised herself right there, as the cleaned herself of his blood, that he would never have another close shave with death. Not on her watch.

Blood.

She startled herself out of her own thoughts, watching the blood drain away. It dawned on her, from the moment she'd seen Naruto lying on the ground with Jiraya and Kakashi, the blood had never even crossed her mind. She didn't smell it anymore, didn't even see it anymore. All that mattered in that moment was her friend's life. And that's all the blood was. Life. As long as there was blood, there was life. Seems like she found her own cure, after all. She laughed to herself. Naruto was sure crazy like that. Helping people without even trying.

And when she finally made her way into Naruto's room at the hospital, she had one final thought.

'Thank you Naruto. For making me strive to better myself.'


	4. Pen & Paper

**So here's theme number 4. A few things to keep in mind; Naruto, Ino, and Sakura became teammates. Ino and Naruto both went with Jiraya to find Tsunade. Because of this, Tsunade considers both of them her grandchildren of a sort, rather than just Naruto.**

**This theme focuses on a series of letters sent between Naruto and Ino during his training trip with Jiraya. This theme ends somewhat abruptly, but never fear. It will be continued in Theme 5.**

**BlakBlt2  
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**Pen and Paper**

_Ino,_

_I know this is kind of a terrible way to go about this, but I couldn't bring myself to tell you any of this face-to-face. This is something that I have to do, but I knew that you would ask me not to leave. One look in your eyes and I know that I would listen to you. I always do. _

_I'm leaving for awhile, babe. The Old Pervert that I told you about seems to think that this is something I have to do. Apparently there's some group of hardcore S-Ranked criminals after the annoying package that I can't get rid of. You know the one. Thankfully, Jiraya says that they're not going to be making any moves for 3 years, so that gives us time to get me up to snuff. We'll be back before that time's up, though. Then maybe you and I can take care of that promise for Sakura. I should be totally awesome by then._

_By the time you read this, I should be a couple of hours out of the village. Don't follow us. Please. Jiraya told me that this could get pretty hairy at times, and I'll rest easier at night knowing you're somewhat safe._

_I want you to do some things for me while I'm gone. Keep up your training, even if I'm not around to help. I want you to be just as awesome as I am when I get back. Check in on Sakura from time to time for me, too. A lot has happened to her recently, and I worry that it did more damage than she lets us see. Do what you can to keep her in high spirits. _

_Don't worry about me. Jiraya assured me that we'll be sending in regular status updates, and I've asked Granny if she would let you know whenever she gets them. You're lucky she really likes both of us, because this is supposed to be a top secret training mission. But she's agreed to let you see each and every message she gets from either of us. I won't be able to call you, either, so just write me some letters. It's nice to know that someone is thinking of me._

_Don't forget about me, Ino. You've been my best friend, ever since that day you walked up to me in the schoolyard. I hope that this trip doesn't change that._

_Your Friend Always,_

_Naruto_

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_Naruto,_

_I'm not sure just how long it's going to take for this letter to get to you, but you can bet that even if it's been a year and a half since you left the village, I'm probably still pissed at you. You've got a lot to make up for when you get back. I wish you would have let me know what was going on. I'd have given you some good memories of the village to take with you._

_Life here hasn't changed much. I think the villagers are just happy to have some peace and quiet. After all, I can't really pull off any truly awesome pranks if my partner-in-crime is MIA, now can I? So I've hung up that belt, at least for now. Maybe when you get back, we'll give them one last one that they'll talk about for years to come._

_Sakura seems like she's doing pretty well. We've been going out for lunch together at least once a week, and she hangs out with everyone else. She's been training with Granny, too. Wants to become a top medic-nin. Seems to have a real knack for it, too. But Granny tells me that she notices things, sometimes. Says that Sakura gets some sort of faraway look in her eyes every once in a while. You taking this trip hasn't really helped, either. You need to come back quick, if for nothing else than her sake. _

_Everyone else hasn't really changed much, although they all are a little more…subdued since you left. It's strange. Almost like you managed to give everyone here a little extra jolt of energy every day. I even heard that Anko-sensei actually wore a pair of long pants the other day, and a real shirt. Not that fishnet crap we've been trying to get her out of! Crazy, right?_

_Speaking of, with you gone and Sakura training exclusively with the Hokage, the team has been disbanded, at least temporarily. So I'm taking advantage of the downtime and getting my own special training from Anko-sensei. She's agreed to work on my interrogation skills. Apparently I have a knack for that kind of thing. So now we just need to figure out your knack, before your teammates get too far ahead of you._

_I'll never forget about you, buddy. Don't think like that. Even if you never came back to the village and I never saw you again, I'd still think of you as my best friend. So I'll just be here waiting for you to get your lazy ass back here. _

_Don't Make Me Come Hunt You Down!,_

_Ino_

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_Ino,_

_Trust me, I'll make it up to you. I'll even agree to an entire week of shopping, if it'll make you happy. And you know how much I hate shopping! Especially with you. No offense, but you make it a full-contact sport._

_I'm saddened to hear that you've decided to retire from our favorite pastime, but also pleased to hear that you already plan to come out of that retirement when I get back. Start making a list of ideas. We've got a year to come up with something great._

_I'm thrilled to hear that Sakura has taken up her interest in medicine. She always did seem like she was the kind of person better suited away from the front lines. Not that I think she's weak! She just doesn't have the right mindset, you know?_

_Now what's this you say about Anko and actual clothes? Have you been smoking something? Because if that's the case, it's obviously some very strong shit, and I want you to save some for me. Otherwise, that is just a disturbing notion. She has fought us tooth-and-nail over that fishnet, and now she changes it? Once I've left and can't fully enjoy mocking her for it? You better have pictures when I get back, Yamanaka._

_I'm glad that you've found something that you really enjoy. And it does seem like it's perfect for you. After all, you'll be the interrogator that can just pull the information fight out of your target's head if you have to. That's perfect. Just make sure that you try your hardest. Don't let me down. I want you to be the most feared interrogator that the village has ever had, okay?_

_Don't worry, Ino. I'll be back. And trust me, you'll be the first person I come and see._

_Like You Could Ever Catch Me!,_

_Naruto_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Naruto,_

_I'm going to hold you to that deal, mister. An entire week of shopping with me. If you're good, I might not even make you pay for it all. I'm just kidding with that. Or am I?_

_I'll have my list. Don't you worry. You'd be surprised what I've been able to come up with so far._

_I'll have to agree with you about Sakura. She makes a great ninja, and she certainly got the tactical mind for it, but she never has really enjoyed the fighting. She seems like she's doing great training with Granny, though. Granny tells me that she's taking to it like a fish to water. So that's good._

_And no, I haven't been smoking anything! Honestly! I swear to you that I'm telling you the truth. She's doing it all the time now. It's like she doesn't have the heart to try and shock anyone with her choice of clothing ever since you left. I asked her what brought on the change, but she wouldn't tell me._

_The interrogation training is coming along really well. Anko has told me that I'm doing just as well as she did when she first started learning. Told me that I remind her of herself when she was younger. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. _

_Your birthday was just a couple of days ago, so Happy Birthday. Sakura sends her wishes, too. She's the only person, besides Granny, that knows I'm still in touch with you. We both got together and got you a gift. It'll be waiting, along with me. So come find me when you get back to town._

_I've been doing a lot of thinking. About you. And about me. About both of us, really. I've come to some conclusions that shocked me at first, but I'm really happy about them now. So I really need to talk to you. The moment you can. It's urgent._

_I'm counting down the days, Naruto. 2 more months. 60 days. I'll be watching the gate everyday of that last week. So hopefully I'll be the first to notice when you get in sight of the village. I'll definitely be the first to welcome you back._

_You'd Come With Me Willingly!,_

_Ino_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Ino,_

_Tell Sakura I said hi._

_I'm sorry this isn't longer. There've been complications. It's looking like the trip might last a few extra months. Don't wait for me. I'll come find you first thing._

_I'm sorry._

_I Love You,_

_Naruto_

That was the last letter Ino had gotten from Naruto. Naturally, she'd sent another letter to him, begging that he giver her any idea of what complications he'd been talking about. She'd sent that almost 5 months ago. She was starting to freak out. Well, actually, she'd passed "freak out" after about the first month of nothing from either Naruto or Jiraya. Now she was coming up on "bat-shit crazy".

And Ino wasn't the only one. Every night when she went to see Granny Tsunade to see if there had been any communication from them that day, she always found Sakura waiting right outside the tower doors. The two of them had made it a habit of going and checking together, now. And Tsunade wasn't fairing any better. Every day, when she told them there had been nothing, Ino noticed that her voice just seemed to get a little sadder than the day before. Just the other day, after they'd closed the doors, Ino could have sworn she heard Tsunade break down into tears.

But even though there'd been nothing even close to the equivalent of a peep from either of them, Ino still spent every single day sitting across from the gates. The first few weeks, Ino had brought a folding chair and a cooler full of food and drinks. After all, she wasn't planning on leaving until nightfall. It wasn't until Granny Tsunade had come by and tried to convince her that watching the gates wouldn't hurry them along; to which Ino had told her to fuck off, respectfully, of course; that there'd been a bench set up in her spot. Sakura came by everyday with lunch, and the two of them ate in silence and watched the gate. Granny showed up if she ever had a moment to spare, and sat with Ino for as long as she could before village business pulled her away. Her friends no longer scoured the village looking for her; the bench was always the first place they checked these days.

She'd begun to lose hope that he was ever coming back to the village. She worried he might be dead. Most nights, she woke up in a panic from the latest nightmare she had of him, covered in blood and staring off into nothing with blank eyes. The method always changed, but the end result was the same. And she'd probably never even know if that was the case. There most likely wouldn't be a body found.

It was with these morbid thoughts that she began to pack up for the day. The sun was starting to set, and while her parents might be okay with her spending her days on the bench, they'd put their foot down when she'd tried to sleep on it too.

Something flashed in the corner of her eye as she put her latest book back into her bag. She turned and squinted down the road leading away from the village. Was that a spot of yellow? Dare she say she glimpsed some orange, too? But then it was gone, and she took a moment to calm her speeding heart.

It wasn't until after she'd eaten, showered and changed that she had a moment to think about Naruto again. She knew now why her heart race when she thought of him. She'd long since accepted that she loved the blonde idiot, in a more than platonic manner. He knew her better than anyone. Knew her deepest, and sometimes darkest, secrets and acted like they were no big deal. And she knew everything about him, in return. Knew that he was the jailer of one of the most dangerous creatures to ever walk the earth, a creature so powerful that apparently people wanted to kill him just to get it. And that knowledge didn't change her opinion of him at all. He was just another regular person.

And she knew that she might take a great deal of flak from the villagers if she acted on her feelings, but she was willing to take that risk to be happy. And she was willing to take that risk to make Naruto happy. But first, she needed him back in the village.

She'd only just settled into bed and closed her eyes when she heard something that forced her to snap her eyes open. She immediately assessed the situation from a ninja's standpoint. The curtains were rustling, which meant that something had entered through the window, but it was closed now. That seemed to be the source of the noise that had caught her attention. She knew her mother had just cleaned the house that day, and yet there were traces of dirt on the carpet. There was a scent in the air, and Ino knew it was familiar, but couldn't quite place where she knew it from. It appeared as though someone had been in her room. But for what?

That was when she noticed something sitting on her dresser. Curiosity got the better of her, and she got up to see what it was. As she got closer, she saw it was a folded piece of paper. What made it strange was the fact that her name was scrawled across the front of it. She knew it went against everything that she had ever been taught; the note could very well be booby trapped, and she didn't know who it was from; but her gut told her that it was safe. And so she opened it.

_I'm waiting for you. Come find me._

And she'd know that handwriting anywhere. Naruto was back. He's the one who'd been in her room.

She opened the window and took off into the night.


	5. Love

**Theme 5 is also here. This is a direct continuation of theme 4. As in, where theme 4 (Pen and Paper) left off, theme 5 picks up. Keep in mind, for the sake of my story, Naruto was taken in by Ino's parents. They saw the state his apartment one day and demanded it of the Hokage. They did not, however, adopt him. **

**So here we are. Enjoy.  
**

**BlakBlt2  
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* * *

**Love**

The cool air rushing past her cheeks was what fully woke her up. When she'd closed her eyes, she'd been truly exhausted. But not physically. She'd hardly done much physical activity these last few months beyond walking to the bench in the morning and walking home at night. It was mental exhaustion. The kind that can't be fixed just by a good night sleep. It had been slowly building, ever since the last letter from Naruto.

But now he was back. At least, that's what she had been led to believe. Now that she thought of it, the familiar, yet unidentifiable scent that had permeated her room this evening carried at least a part of his familiar smell. Ramen, for sure. And something bordering on burnt wood, but in a good way. She'd always attributed that part to the Kyuubi.

And there was that note. _I'm waiting for you. Come find me. _It had definitely been written by Naruto. She'd recognize his handwriting anywhere. After all, she'd helped him with enough homework in the academy, as well as mission reports for the team. She knew.

But the note was very vague. Come find me, he said. Find him where? Especially at this time of night? He wasn't across the hall in his room. She'd have heard him, for one. And there'd be no need for him to leave a note and come through the window. She couldn't check Ichiraku's, since it had closed a few hours ago. So that left the training grounds, or the top of the monument. It was a 50/50 chance. She didn't have time to quickly visit both places, since they were on opposite ends of the village, and he'd probably head home if she took too long.

She stopped at a crossroads, took a moment to think, and then made a rash decision and jumped off into the night once more.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The Hokage's heads were empty when she finally stopped, and Ino feared that she'd made the wrong choice. She'd been so sure that he'd come here. After all, he'd just gotten back from an extended training mission, so why would he want to think about training anymore at the moment. Then again, this was Naruto, and he did love to train.

Just as she was about to race over to the training grounds in hopes of catching him, however unlikely, she heard a rustling of leaves. She froze, listening intently, and then caught a whiff of that semi-familiar smell once more. It made her smile.

"So I did pick the right place, after all?" she asked.

"Wherever you went would have been the right choice, Ino. I've been following you since you left your house. Although I would have thought it would have taken you a bit longer to leave. Nice choice of clothing for our first meeting, wouldn't you say?"

It took a second before she even thought about the words that he'd used. She let herself get wrapped up in hearing his voice for the first time in more than 2 years. It had gotten deeper, manlier. She liked it. A lot.

Then, of course, she actually listened to what he'd said. Something about her clothes? She glanced down to take inventory, and grimaced. She'd been so hell-bent on actually seeing him that she hadn't even considered putting on something decent. She was wearing only what she wore to bed every night. A tight-fitting t-shirt, no bra, and a pair of somewhat small hiphuggers. Damn it. Not that she didn't hope he'd eventually be seeing them, but she hadn't meant to broadcast them. She'd just have to play herself off as more confident than she was right now.

"Sorry, Naruto. I didn't even think about it. After all, how many bathes were there when we were little kids?"

"Well, yeah… but you're far more…" Ino watched his eyes burn a trail up her legs, across her stomach, watched them pause ever so slightly on her breasts; she knew it was cold, and wouldn't be surprised if her nipples were showing through her shirt;, and then make their way up to her face. She smirked when she noticed the bobbing of his Adam's apple as he gulped. "developed than you were back then."

Now, Ino had a reputation around the village. Everyone in town knew that she despised a pervert. By the age of 12, she was already known around town as the girl who had been able to knock out the Legendary Jiraya with a single punch. What people didn't know was that it had happened when she, along with her best friend Naruto, had stumbled across the man while he was peeking in on the woman's bathhouse. These days, she still managed to knock out those idiots that looked at her exactly as Naruto had just done.

Of course, he'd been gone when she had really started to, in his words, develop. He didn't know about Ino's choice of habits when confronted with his exact actions. And Ino wasn't exactly sure just how much her friend acted like Jiraya these days. She just had to trust that he hadn't changed that much, and still behaved around women like he used to. Because if that was the case, she could turn what originally looked like a fiasco into something to her advantage. So she decided she wasn't going to knock him out, just yet.

"Do you really think so, Naruto?" she asked, hoping she sounded as sexy as she wanted to.

"Would I lie to you, Ino?"

"No, you wouldn't, Naruto. So maybe you can help me with a little problem I've been having lately."

Yeah, what's going on?" he asked, completely oblivious.

"Well, ever since I…developed, as you say" grabbing her breasts to emphasize her point and smirking when Naruto gulped once more "I've had all these boys chasing me around and asking me out, among other things."

"You need me to punch somebody out, babe?" he asked. He couldn't have any idea how much that little term of endearment that he'd been using for years now could send her heart into a frenzy.

"_I always want to hear him calling me that." _she thought, though she didn't tell him that. "No, I can do that just fine myself. My problem is, there's this boy. And he's not been around the village for the past couple of years. But I've always been thinking about him, even while he was gone. And I just recently realized that I'm always going to want him around. When he's around, life is just better, you know? And while he was gone, there was this…empty feeling. Like part of me had gone on this trip with him. And then it hit me. I have a man in my life that I never want to leave me. Life, when he's around, is fantastic. And he knows everything about me, just like I know everything about him."

"He sounds like a pretty cool guy, Ino. He's lucky to have caught your eye." Naruto told her as cheerfully as he could manage, though inside he felt like his heart was tearing apart.

You see, Naruto and Jiraya hadn't just trained the entire time they had been gone. There had been information gathering, since Jiraya couldn't just abandon his spy network, and there had been plenty of time for talking about anything in general. Jiraya, however, had seemed most interested to hear about Ino. Naruto, for his part, had been more than happy to tell his mentor all about the most important person in his life.

And though Jiraya may have been a self-proclaimed super pervert and the author of one of the raunchiest literary series know to man, he knew a fair amount about females beyond just the physical aspect. He also, to a select few, was known as a self-proclaimed love guru. So as Naruto regaled him with stories of this girl, he only half listened. The other half of him paid attention to his student's body language, and let it tell him a whole other story.

So when Naruto had come to him 6 months ago with the question _"How can you know if you love someone?" _he had been prepared.

"_Well, it's not really something that I can tell you. There's no checklist. I can only give you advice. Ask yourself what your life would be like if you never saw Ino…I mean, this girl, ever again. Ask yourself if you could ever truly be happy in that situation. And just think about this girl of yours. It'll come to you."_

Naruto had been fairly impressed by that little speech, until his teacher opened his mouth again.

"_And then once you've figured that out, come talk to me again. I can teach you all sorts of things on how to please a woman. For instance, there's this thing you can do with your tongue…"_

But he'd listened to the first part his advice, and he'd thought. He'd asked himself the questions, and just thought about all the time he'd spent with Ino. And, just like Jiraya said, it had come to him.

So when Ino had begun to describe her problem, he'd begun to despair. He'd held out some hope that Ino had returned his feelings; after all, the two of them had been extremely close before he left. But he didn't know anything that had happened since that time. Anybody could have come into the picture since then. He decided that if he wasn't going to be able to be with Ino, then he would have to support her and make sure he was happy.

"He is. I just wish I could call him mine. But I don't even know if he feels the same way." she replied.

"I'm sure he does. He'd be a fool not to. But I want to meet him, if anything happens between you two."

"You've already met him. In fact, I think you know him even better than you know me." she told him, hoping he would figure it out.

"That's impossible, Ino. The only person I could possibly know better than I know you is me."

"Then I hope you're not a fool, Naruto." she whispered as she pressed herself up against him and wrapped her arms around him.

To Naruto's credit, he was able to still process his thoughts, albeit at a far slower pace, while Ino was in such close proximity. He worked his way backwards through the conversation he'd just had. He remembered telling her that any boy who didn't return her affection would be a fool. He then took that fragment and combined it with her last statement, wherein she hoped that he wasn't a fool. He combined that with something that Jiraya called deductive reasoning, and finally came to an answer.

Ino had feelings for him.

At least, that's what it sounded like. What he hoped it sounded like.

He blinked. And opened his mouth to respond.

Ino beat him to it. "Are you a fool, Naruto? Because I have something for you that I won't give to a fool."

"I'm no fool, Ino. You can count on that."

"I was hoping you'd say that."

And then she kissed him.

And, once more, to his credit, he didn't black out. He didn't freeze up. He did exactly what he was supposed to do in the situation he found himself in.

He pulled Ino closer and kissed her back.

It was over far too soon, for the both of them, but Ino had other things that she needed to get off her chest.

"I have something else for you, Naruto. I decided to give it to you as soon as I found out that you'd left." she told him.

He grinned "If it's anything like that last something, then bring it on."

He was prepared for a lot of things that she could give him right then. But she still managed to surprise him.

She slapped him. Hard.

He touched his cheek lightly, grazing it with only his fingertips. He wouldn't be surprised if he had a bruise come morning.

"That was for leaving without saying goodbye! Do you have any idea how much that hurt? I don't think I even left my room that first two weeks!"

Naruto hung his head in shame. He knew that his leaving had hurt Ino. He knew that he'd hurt her pretty bad. He'd just never thought it had been as bad as it was. And he vowed then and there to spend the rest of his life making it up to her.

"I had to do it, babe. Can you honestly tell me that you wouldn't have begged me to stay? I would have. You know I would have, and you would have used that your advantage."

"You're right. I would have. I wouldn't have been proud of it, but I would have."

And she knew he was right. Even when she loved him and didn't know it, she worried for his safety. And this was the most danger he'd ever been in. She would have used every advantage she could to get him to stay.

"And you might have ended up resenting me for it. So I'm glad that I never had that opportunity. But I love you, Naruto. With every fiber of my being, I love you. And I was worried about you every day you were gone. Especially when I didn't hear anything from you these last months."

"I'll tell you that story soon, Ino. I promise." he told her truthfully.

"Do I need to make a list? That's a lot of promises."

"Just shut up and come here, babe."

And just before he touched his lips to hers, he needed to make one more point.

"You know I love you too, right Ino?"

She chuckled.

"You'd be a fool not to."


End file.
